Safety-step for cars



above dangers.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. BEEBY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

SAFETY-STEP FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 260,525 dated July 4, 1882, Application filed April 15, 1882. (ModeL) To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, SAWUEL M. BEERY, of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and 'Improved Protector for Coupling, Switching, and Shunting Cars, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

in frogs or switches, and are then thrown down and crushed or more or less seriously injured by the moving cars.

The object of my invention is to avoid the Toaccomplish this Iprovide each end of the car at each side with a step or with a U-shaped bar which projects down from the bottom of the car to within a short distance from the rails, which U shaped bars are provided with cross'rods. A series. of hand-holds are attached to the ends of the car, above the U-shaped steps or bars.' The operator places one or both feet on this U- shaped bar or step, and holds himself on one of the hand-holds with one hand, and can couple or uncouple the cars with 'the other hand.

Reference isto be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a car provided with my improved protector for coupling cars. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. I v

A U-shaped iron bar, A, is fastened to each end of the car B, at each side of the end-r-that is, at each side of the draw-heads-by means of large wood screw-bolts, so that these bars Acan easily be attached or removed. These bent U-shaped bars extend down to within from six to ten inches from the rails, and are each provided about the middle of the part below the bottom of the car with a transverse bar or rod, 0. A series of horizontal handlerods or hand-holds, D, are attached to the ends of the car, above the U-shaped bars A.

The bars A are bent so that they form steps or foot-rests of the same width as the width of the bar, as shown. The cars may be provided with end ladders or side ladders up which the brakemen can pass to the roof of the car.

In coupling cars the operator places one or both feet on the bottom transverse piece of one of the U-shaped bars or steps A and holds himself on one of the hand'holds 1.). He thus moves'with the car, has a firm bearing for his feet, need pay no attention to'the same, is not in danger of stumbling over rails or ties, cannot catch his feet in frogs or switches, and can give all his attention to the coupling. As the foot rests or steps A project down ,very low, the operator can easily step on the same from the ground, and he can easily reach these steps from the top of the car by means of the end or side ladders. As these steps are arranged at each side of the draw-head, the operator can couple from either side of the car without being endangered at any time, for a man can conveniently find place between two cars when the same are coupled.

On flat-cars but one hand-hold D will be required.

The above-described steps or protection will be found to be of the greatest service in coupling, uncoupling, switching, and shunting cars. The operator can hold himself on the car with one hand and can signal the engineer or other operator with the other hand.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a car, of the U- shaped flat bars A, each provided with a cross-bar, O, and secured to the ends of the car on opposite sides of the draw-head, and reaching to within a short distance from the rails, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a car, of the U- shaped bars A, each provided with a cross-bar, (Land secured to the ends of the carton opposite sides of the draw-bar, and the hand-holds D,secured to the ends of the car, above the U- shaped bars A, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

' SAMUEL M. BEERY.

Witnesses:

J. K. VAN DEMARK, P. W. LAUX. 

